by Cédric Durand
Verso Books
10/25/2025, paperback
SKU: 9781804294390
The promise of the 'new economy' gone, we have regressed into the age of techno-feudalism
The rise of the IT industry in the nineties promised a new era of freedom and prosperity. It didn't deliver. Today, algorithms are everywhere, but digital monopolies push us towards the feudal logic of rent, dispossession, and personal domination. How Silicon Valley Unleashed Techno-feudalism tears apart the Silicon Valley consensus to reveal the new economic order, in which capital has abandoned production to focus on predation.
Reviews:
"If you want to understand how platform capitalism is turning into a predatory form of techno-feudalism and how the digital economy is radically transforming politics, society, and our everyday lives, read this book. An essential and fascinating analysis of the ideology and political economy of the digital age." --Matthias Schmelzer, co-author of The Future Is Degrowth
"A sparkling, provocative and must-read analysis of contemporary capitalism. To understand how economic power relations unfold amid technology and how this has altered capital accumulation, Durand simultaneously captures general trends and the underlying mechanisms and dynamics at play. While many agree on today's growing concentration and resulting inequalities, this book offers a unique explanation of the sources of economic (and political) power. In the wake of the AI fever, reading it becomes even more indispensable." --Cecilia Rikap, author of Capitalism, Power and Innovation
"The publication of this book by the French economist Cédric Durand represents the most sustained attempt so far at a serious consideration of the economic logics involved." --Evgeny Morozov, New Left Review
About the Author:
Cédric Durand is Professor of Political Economy at the University of Geneva and a member of the Centre d'économie Paris Nord. He is the author of Fictitious Capital. How Finance Appropriates Our Future. He is a regular contributor to the online journal Contretemps and to Sidecar, the blog of the New Left Review.